This blog post is dedicated to one person on the Bryn Mawr staff, housekeeping team. I have befriended most of the staff here at Bryn Mawr. I say hello to them and ask them how they are doing. I like to hear about their families and how they ended up working at Bryn Mawr. Some people pass them by because they’re sweeping the floor, vacuuming, wiping windows or straightening out furniture, but for me, passing is not an option. Many of them have become a family away from home during my time here. Of course not many people take the time to realize that no matter what the job description is, people are people and it doesn’t matter what they are doing as long it is earning, what my mother would call, an honest living.

One staff member in particular works in my dorm and she is the light to my mornings. It’s funny because sometimes I feel like a lost child searching for her in the hallways. Sometimes I even try to trace the faint sounds of the vacuum mowing across the carpet. If I hear nothing, I yell her name out loud as I walk down the halls. Any worry that I have I can tell her and she always gives me the best advice. Her spirits are always so high. Her love for God is so sweet that it makes me want to grow closer to him as well. Her appreciation for music is a delight to see, because I now realize so many of us take it for granted. Can you imagine the world without music? If I blast my music and hear a tap at the door though all of the noise; it’ll be her shaking her hips from side to side asking me what type of music it is. In my lowest moments when I am not feeling motivated she is there to open her arms and offer me a hug. Not the old, frail, artificial hugs that people give while present at functions they don’t want to be at, but the real hugs that will immediately suck all of the negative energy out of you. When I don’t run into her, it feels as though something is missing and when I am late for class and know I cannot stop to talk as long as I wish I could, I send her a text message to let her know once in a while that I am thinking of her and hope that her week is going well. She always responds telling me that she misses seeing me too…

Sometimes people are so focused on the idea of trying to change the world when they should just stop for a second and realize that there are people who are changing the world right before their eyes. Granted it’s one person at a time, but it’s in a way that is close and genuine. Make the personal connections count because there are some relationships that begin in college that could very well last you a lifetime. People like this person in particular have been one of my many pillars throughout my four years on this campus. I know I’m not the only one who has been impacted by her because so many people show her so much love. It’s rare that people don’t. I feel like it is important to not disclose this person’s name because to some other students, this description fits the lady, or male worker that they might see in their halls every morning working. It could very well be any staff member on this campus. For me, this is one, but there are many more.